Silverton Food Co-op surpasses 500 households, seeks storefront

A rendering of the Kitsap Community Food Co-op, a grocery cooperative with a vision similar to that of the Silverton Food Co-op. (File Image: Courtesy of the Kitsap Community Food Co-op)(Photo: Kitsap Community Food Co-op)

"A big part of what we're currently doing," said Codner, "is trying to reach out, educating our community, teaching people what a food co-op is."

The organization's vision is that of opening a "community-owned grocery store that provides convenient access to a variety of locally raised or produced foods and other products and to foster a healthy and economically viable environment for our farmers and our community."

"We're in a fantastic location for farms and ranchers," Codner said. "They see the potential to year-round access to consumers."

He hopes that to co-op will provide these local producers with a consistent market for their products, especially during the fall and winter months when area farmers markets aren't operating.

"Everybody's impacted when a food coop opens - farmers, business owners, community members," Codner said, "we want to be a place that people could walk or bike to, or drive and fill the car up with groceries."

While most food co-ops follow the same set of principles and maintain a worldwide affiliation and support network, Codner said, "the cool thing is about food co-ops is that each one is unique to its community; the people, the farms, the landscape, the vibe of Silverton. We hope to incorporate all of that into the store."

The next step will be to find an appropriate location and to launch a capital campaign wherein "owners loan the co-op money at a small interest rate." An investment in addition to the one time $150 household membership fee (which members can make in monthly payments of $15).

"When the co-op opens we'll pay our member-owners back, " Codner explained, "it's a good way for you to invest in something ... (in) helping build your own store."

Once the store opens it will operate as a for-profit business, and profits will be reinvested in the Silverton community in the form of low-interest loans to small business owners and farms.

"We have real potential, as we progress, to encourage small farmers to take more risks and continue to grow and expand and strengthen."

Emily Teel is the Food & Drink Editor at the Statesman Journal. Contact her at eteel@statesmanjournal.com, Facebook, or Twitter. See what she's cooking and where she's eating this week on Instagram: @emily_teel